Source: Patriots trade WR Thomas to Jets

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, celebrates his touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett, center, in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

NEW YORK — A person with direct knowledge of the deal says the New York Jets have acquired wide receiver Demaryius Thomas from the New England Patriots for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the teams had not yet announced the trade.

Thomas gives the Jets’ receiving group a boost. He and coach Adam Gase were together in Denver from 2010-14, when Gase was the wide receivers coach and later the Broncos’ offensive coordinator.

ESPN first reported the deal — the first trade between the teams since Bill Belichick took over as the Patriots’ coach in 2000. The last trade between the teams was actually when Belichick left the Jets for the Patriots, and New York got a first-round pick.

Thomas became expendable for the Patriots when they signed Antonio Brown over the weekend.

The 31-year-old Thomas has 688 receptions for 9,330 yards and 62 touchdowns. He played for the Broncos from 2010 until being traded to Houston last October for a seventh-round draft pick. He tore his Achilles late last season, was released by the Texans in February and signed with the Patriots in April.